Language focus

Content

Introduction

Elicit the names of different fruits from the children by drawing some pictures on the board. Explain in L1 or L2 that most fruit grows on trees, like apples and cherries. Ask Where do apples come from? An apple tree. Writeapple tree on the board and see how many more the children can name, egplum tree, peach tree, pear tree, cherry tree, orange tree.

Completing Plants: Part of a tree Worksheet

Activity 1

Draw a tree on the board like the one on the worksheet. Number the different parts. Then teach the names of the parts of the tree: leaves, trunk, branches and roots. Ask the children to repeat the words after you.

Do some oral practice, encouraging the children to say the words. What’s number 1? Leaves! What’s number 4? Roots! What’s number 3? Branches!Encourage the children to continue in pairs.

Ask the children to do Activity 1.

Answers: 1-leaves; 2-trunk; 3-branches; 4-roots

Extra activity

Mime the different parts of a tree. Trunk: stand still with arms down. Roots: hands open next to your feet. Branches: open arms. Leaves: open arms and move them in a circle. The children take turns to mime and guess the parts of the tree in groups.

Activities 2 and 3

Create interest by asking the children some questions in L1 or L2. Help them with mime or with the picture of a tree on the board, but don’t give them too much information at this stage. For example, point to the trunk and sayHow many trunks have trees got? One? Ten? Is the trunk thin or thick? Point to the leaves and say How many leaves have trees got? What colour are the leaves? Point to the branches and say How many branches have trees got? Point to the roots. Roots? Where do the roots grow? Teach them the difference between on the ground and under the ground by putting your hand on and under a book to show the difference.

Ask the children to read the sentences in Activity 2 and write True or Falsein the Your opinion column individually. Make sure they understand the meaning of lots of.

Put the children in groups of four to compare their answers in L1 or L2 and to come up with a group answer. All the children in each group should write the group answer in the Your group’s opinion column. This may or may not be the same as their own answer.

Get feedback from the class but don’t correct their answers. You can say that there are four true and four false sentences.

Ask the children to read the sentences in Activity 3 and write True or Falsein the Answers column.

Get feedback from the class and give them the correct answers. How many answers did they get right the first time? And the second time?

Answers: 1-T; 2-F; 3-F; 4-T; 5-F; 6-T; 7-F; 8-T

Activity 4

Make a statement about trees and encourage the children to respond true orfalse. Say True or false? Trees have got green leaves in winter. False! Trees have got one trunk. True! Roots give the tree water and food. True! The trunk is short and thin. False. Trees have got two branches. False!

Ask the children to do Activity 4.

Answers: 1-spring; 2-winter; 3-trunk; 4-ground; 5-long and thick

Extra activity

The children draw and label their own tree in their notebooks. They can also write sentences about the different parts.